Hair curler



July 24, 1951 A. T. KIRSCH HAIR CURLER Filed Aug. 21, 1947 Patented July 24, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIR GURLER Adelaide T. Kirsch, Erie, Pa.

Application August 21, 1947, Serial No. 769,848

1 Claim. 1

This invention is a hair curler for making pin curls, i. e., spiral curls lying flat against the head.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a pin curler; Fig. 2 is a front elevation; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a modification; Fig. 4 is a plan View of a molded plastic hold-down member usable with the Figs. 1-3 curlers; Fig. 5 is a perspective of another modification; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation illustrating the use of the curler.

In the drawing, I indicates a U-shaped base having sides 2 defining a notch 3 for receiving a lock of hair. As shown the notch has a restricted mouth through which the hair enters. The base is adapted to lie flat against the head with the sides 2 straddling the lock of hair. On the outer ends of the sides 2 are outwardly extending projections 4 around which the lock of hair may be wrapped in a flat spiral. The inner faces of the projections have detent notches 5 for receiving a hold-down or retainer member 6 hinged in a projection 7 on the base of the U. As shown in Fig. 1, the retainer may be made of wire. An alternative construction 8 made of plastic is shown in Fig. 4. With either form of retainer the wide central portion 9 is received in the detent notches 5 to press the spiral lock of hair wrapped around the projections 4 toward the base. The outer ends of the projections have bevels ID on which a spreading pressure may be exerted to release the retainer from the detent notches.

In the use of the hair curlers the retainer, when in the position shown in Fig. 1, serves as a convenient handle. The curler is manipulated so the selected lock of hair II is received in the notch 3 with the base I lying fiat against the head as shown in Fig. 6. The lock of hair is then wrapped around the projections 4 to produce a fiat spiral curl. The free end of the lock of hair remaining after the wrapping may extend out between the projections. The lock of hair is clamped in place by movin the retainer between the projections where it is held by the detent notches 5. This curler produces a flat spiral curl known as a pin curl. While the straight projections shown in Fig. 2 are perfectly satisfactory, the projections may have concave or diverging outer surfaces or ends l2 as indicated in the modification shown in Fig. 3 which is otherwise of the same construction as the curler shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The concave outer surfaces tend to keep the spiral toward the base during the Wrapping operation.

The modification shown in Fig. 5 diflers from the Figs. 1 and 2 curler in the construction of the retainer for holding the spiral curl against the base. This retainer comprises a pin l3 fastened to the projection I by a string [4 and receivable in aligned openings 15 in the projections 4. When in place, the pin 13 bridges the space between the openings and presses the spiral curl toward the base of the curler. This modification is perhaps better adapted to professional use.

What I claim as new is:

In a curler, a U-shaped base adapted to lie flat against the head with the sides straddling a lock of hair, the outer ends of the sides defining a mouth through which the lock enters and the space between the sides to the rear of the mouth being substantially the area of the section of the scalp in which the lock of hair originates, a pair of spaced outwardly extending projections at the ends of the sides of the base at each side of the mouth, the rear surfaces of said projections being located in front of the major portion of the space between the sides of the base whereby a lock of hair originating between the sides of the base and curled around the projections extends initially directly laterally crosswise behind the rear surface of one of the projections over one of the sides and then spirally around the projections, a retainer member pivoted on the base of the U on an axis crosswise of the sides and swingable to a retaining position between said projections extending lengthwise of the sides of the base and transverse to the initial laterally extending portion of the lock of hair, catch means on the projections which engage the retainer member and hold it between the projections pressing the underlying hair toward the base, and said projections having smooth outer surfaces over which the curl can be slid off the projections upon release of the retainer member.

ADELAIDE T. IURSCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record In the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,042,397 High et al May 26, 1936 2,116,799 Schneeweis May 10, 1938 2,173,872 Barnes Sept. 26, 1939 2,381,195 Whittaker Aug. 7, 1945 2,420,107 Stallins May 6, 1947 2,463,606 Fain Mar. 8, 1949 

